Tag Archives: marijuana

A state agency suspended a Woodhaven day care center’s operating license less than a week after police raided the apartment below the facility during a narcotics investigation.

The Office of Children and Family Services withheld the license for My Precious Moments group family day care at 85-09 88th Ave. following its own probe into matters unrelated to last Thursday’s raid, according to an agency spokesperson.

Meanwhile, 24-year-old Michael Gomez — who lives in a basement apartment below the day care center, which his mother owns — remains locked up on charges after police found quantities of MDMA (Molly) and marijuana in his residence.

Ridgewood’s Selestino Rodriguez of Bleecker Street — a friend of Gomez arrested with him at the scene last Thursday — was released without bail following arraignment.

The NYPD Queens Narcotics Squad, with cooperation from the 102nd Precinct’s Field Investigation Office, executed a search warrant at the location following an investigation in which Gomez allegedly sold quantities of Molly and/or marijuana to an undercover officer on Feb. 3 and Feb. 17.

Both transactions reportedly occurred at Gomez’s residence while children were at the day care center.

During Thursday’s raid, police recovered 7 ounces of Molly, 4 ounces of marijuana and more than $2,400 in cash.

Gomez and Rodriguez were charged with felony counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor count of criminal sale of marijuana. Gomez was additionally charged with child endangerment, criminal sale of marijuana and criminal sale of a controlled substance. Both suspects are due back in court on March 9.

According to sources, My Precious Moments opened in May 2009 and cares for 16 children—12 of whom are between 6 weeks and 12 years old. Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown noted that the day care center is located less than 1,500 feet from two parochial schools: St. Elizabeth Catholic Academy at 94-01 85th St. and St. Thomas the Apostle Academy at 87-49 87th St.

No one from My Precious Moments responded to phone calls that the Times Newsweekly made Tuesday morning.

A Woodhaven man remained behind bars in lieu of $20,000 bail Friday afternoon for allegedly dealing drugs from his apartment below a day care center his mother owns and operates, prosecutors said.

Michael Gomez, 24, was arrested Thursday morning on drug possession charges after police raided his apartment located under the My Precious Moments day care facility at 85-09 88th Ave. A friend with him at the scene, Selestino Rodriguez of Ridgewood, was also taken into custody.

My Precious Moments opened in May 2009 and cares for 16 children — 12 of whom are between 6 weeks and 12 years old. Queens District Attorney Richard Brown noted that the day care center is located less than 1,500 feet from two parochial schools that serve pre-kindergarten through eighth grade: St. Elizabeth Catholic Academy at 94-01 85th St. and St. Thomas the Apostle Academy at 87-49 87th St. Both are in drug-free school zones.

The NYPD Queens Narcotics Squad executed a search warrant at the 88th Avenue location following an investigation in which Gomez allegedly sold quantities of MDMA (Molly) and/or marijuana to an undercover officer on Feb. 3 and Feb. 17. Both transactions reportedly occurred at Gomez’s residence while children were inside the day care center.

During Thursday’s raid, police recovered 7 ounces of Molly, 4 ounces of marijuana and more than $2,400 in cash.

Gomez and Rodriguez were charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminally using drug paraphernalia, criminal possession of marijuana and endangering the welfare of a child. Gomez was additionally charged with criminal sale of marijuana and criminal sale of a controlled substance.

Both suspects were arraigned Thursday night in Queens Criminal Court before Judge Toko Serita. Gomez was ordered held on $20,000 bail, while Rodriguez was released on his own recognizance. They are scheduled to return to court on Mar. 9.

Borough residents are on both sides of the debate over the city’s recent change in policy over marijuana possession arrests, while several local politicians see it as a progressive move.

“Historically, these types of arrests have disproportionately targeted poorer, young men of color,” Councilman Donovan Richards Jr., said. “Rethinking the administration’s approach to marijuana possession is a key to ending the misguided reliance on ‘stop and frisk’ and rebuilding the relationships between law enforcement and the communities they police.”

According to the new policy, if police find someone in possession of 25 grams or less of marijuana, officers will issue a summons instead of arresting the individual. The new policy, which comes into effect on Nov. 19, is not a blanket rule. The change is valid only if the person has identification and if no arrest warrant has been issued for him or her. Individuals carrying marijuana will still be subject to arrest if the type of possession indicates intent to sell, if the individual has an outstanding warrant, or if the individual is in certain locations such as a school.

Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras is also in favor of the change, calling it a move in the right direction.

“This policy change is one of many steps towards rebuilding those communities of color, like my own, that have been disproportionately jailed and suffered in the long term; it reflects the progressive, forward-thinking direction in which our city and this Council are moving,” she said.

Councilman Rory Lancman, who chairs the Committee on Courts and Legal Services, focused on the effect of the policy change on the overburdened legal system, saying that this change will allow prosecutors, judges and defense attorneys to concentrate on violent crimes. He added that he looks forward to “further reducing the over-policing in communities of color, and addressing the collateral consequences of even mere violations for undocumented immigrants caught in the criminal justice system.”

Queens residents were not as supportive, and even saw the change as potentially dangerous.

“It is not a good idea. There should be more rules covering this. What if someone is on a high and drives a car? This will add more dangerous people on the road,” Bayside resident Robert Posner said.

But others agreed with the looser punishment.

“It’s not right but I am OK with it,” Alda Gomez said. “So long as they don’t sell it or it is not a big amount or they are next to a school, if it is only for themselves, it’s okay.”

Cops discovered that a BMW’s occupants were violating more than traffic laws when they pulled over the vehicle in St. Albans last week.

Officers stopped the car, a 2001 BMW X5, around 12:40 a.m. on Oct. 20 after noticing it was driving rather fast at Linden and Farmers boulevards, police said. They also saw that it was missing its front license plate and had a defective taillight.

As the car’s occupants rolled down the windows, the cops said they could smell marijuana coming from the BMW before they even arrived at it. They also said once they did approach the vehicle they could see a marijuana cigarette in the front ashtray and another one on the floor mat.

A .45-cal Taurus handgun and .32-cal Beretta pistol, which was previously reported stolen out of state, were also found in the car, police said.

The vehicle’s four occupants, Gregory Bryant, 35, of Hackensack, N.J.; Wayne Savage, 26, of Hartford, Conn.; Robert Myrie, 44, of Kingston, Jamaica; and Barrington King, 31, of North Lauderdale, Fla., were arrested and each charged with possession of loaded firearms, possession of stolen property and possession of marijuana, authorities said. Bryant was also charged with insufficient taillights, improper license plates and driving without a license.

According to police, Bryan was previously arrested in upstate New York for narcotics possession and is being held on a warrant from Hudson County, N.J. King was previously arrested in Florida and Arizona for theft of a firearm, marijuana possession and sale, and conspiracy.

A 30-year-old Queens Village man was arrested on drug and gun possession charges after he left his 8-year-old son sleeping alone at their home, police said.

Nuquan Stewart was busted on Oct. 14, at 10:45 p.m. after police officers saw that the Volkswagen he was driving had a broken brake light, according to authorities. When they approached Stewart about it, they allegedly noticed a strong odor of marijuana.

The cops asked Stewart to step out of the vehicle. They then spotted six plastic bags of the drug sticking out of the open front pocket of his hooded sweatshirt and a gravity knife jutting from a upholder in the vehicle’s center console, police said. When the cops handcuffed him, Stewart told them about his son, who he had left alone at home while he ran his errands.

At Stewart’s request, the cops went to his 222nd Street apartment to check on the young boy. When they reached it, they allegedly smelled pot. They entered the residence with the keys Stewart had given them and found the boy safely asleep in his bedroom. They also found numerous bags of marijuana and large stacks of money.

The cops handed the child over to the city’s Administration for Children’s Services who then transferred his care to another family member.

The next day, the police executed a search warrant at the apartment and seized several items including 30 pounds of marijuana, approximately $17,500 in cash, a .40-cal Smith & Wesson semiautomatic firearm loaded with 11 rounds, and a fully-automatic Ruger AR-15 assault rifle, along with two high-capacity magazines loaded with 20 live rounds, according to authorities.

Stewart is currently being held in Rikers Island as he awaits a court date to face charges of criminal possession of marijuana, criminal possession of a machine gun, criminal possession of a loaded firearm, and failure to exercise control of a minor, police said. He has previously been arrested for the sale and possession of marijuana and crack cocaine, burglary, criminal mischief and resisting arrest.

A Canadian woman was busted at John F. Kennedy International Airport Sunday morning after TSA officers discovered guns, ammunition and 58 bricks of marijuana hidden among cat litter, drink mixes and household items inside her baggage, officials said.

The illegal loot was found in the passenger’s two pieces of checked luggage. The screeners noticed the suitcases were full of cans and boxes for baby wipes, coffee, floor dusting sheets, lemonade mix, iced tea mix, cat litter and laundry tablets, according to the TSA.

Inside the product containers, they uncovered two disassembled .40 caliber handguns, 350 rounds of ammunition, four magazines for the weapons and 58 bricks of pot totaling 33 pounds.

Port Authority police were called, and the traveler, Nyesha McPherson, 24, of Scarborough, Ontario, who was ticketed to fly to the Barbados, was arrested at about 9 a.m., officials said.

McPherson has been charged with criminal possession of marijuana, criminal possession of weapon, criminal possession of a firearm, possession of high capacity magazines and possession of ammunition, according to a PA spokesman.

A noise complaint at a Fresh Meadows home led police officers to make a major heroin bust Friday night.

Uniformed officers of the 107th Precinct responded to a 3-1-1 noise complaint at 11:05 p.m. on the third floor at 67-11 161st St., according to the NYPD. Upon arriving, the officer heard a loud radio from one apartment and after they knocked the suspect, Frank Giardina, answered the door holding a marijuana pipe.

In order to write Giardina a summons, the officers asked him for his identification after which Giardina invited the police inside his apartment in order to get his ID, according to police. Once inside the apartment the officers saw about five pounds of alleged heroin on the kitchen table. Giardina was then placed under arrest.

A search warrant was granted and after further search, 1,948 glassines of heroin were found together with packing materials and equipment.

Giardina faces charges including criminal possession of a controlled substance of an amount greater than eight ounces, criminal possession of a controlled substance of methamphetamine, intent to sell a criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal possession of marijuana.

Cuomo mentioned he would launch a state medical marijuana program to help patients, and since then various organizations and supporters of cannabis have applauded the decision, but are calling for more information.

However, not much information has been released about the program, leading people to question which patients will qualify to get access to the cannabis, which hospitals will participate, and even how the state plans to collect and dispense marijuana.

“We are afraid his whole plan is unworkable and leaves everybody in the dust. What is the point of a plan that doesn’t work,” Smit asked.

The program’s “findings will be used to inform future policy,” according to the governor’s office.

“We have to make New York healthier. Research suggests that medical marijuana can help manage the pain and treatment of cancer and other serious illnesses,” Cuomo said. “We will monitor the program to evaluate the effectiveness and the feasibility of a medical marijuana system.”

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One man and five women have been arrested after cops executed a search warrant and found 10 firearms, a large knife, marijuana and other drugs, according to the NYPD.

On Friday, April 5 at 6 a.m. members of the 105th Precinct Anti-Crime Team and Field Intelligence Officers searched a home located at 104-23 210th Street and recovered 10 firearms including two Raven Arms .25 caliber semi-auto firearms, 2 Jimenez Arms .380 caliber semi-auto firearms, one Masterpiece Arms (Mac10) 9MM machine pistol with a high capacity magazine and silencer, one Mossberg sawed-off shot gun with a pistol grip, one Smith and Wesson .38 caliber revolver, one Lorcin Arms 9MM semi-auto firearm, one Titan .38 caliber revolver and one Cobra .410 single shot firearm.

According to police, the individuals were hit with a large number of charges including several counts of criminal possession of a weapon and the criminal possession of a controlled substance with the intent to sell.

A Brooklyn man was arrested Friday afternoon for trying to take 30 pounds of pot from a South Richmond Hill’s doctor’s office, police said.

Marlon Morris, 41, was charged with criminal possession of marijuana and disorderly conduct after he allegedly attempted to pick up a package of hash that was delivered by UPS to Dr. Devicka Persaud’s medical office on Liberty Avenue at 4:50 p.m. on February 1, said cops.

Staff at Persaud’s family medicine practice did not immediately comment.

Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced plans to urge lawmakers to decriminalize the public possession of small amounts of marijuana in New York.

Private possession of marijuana is currently a violation and Cuomo said this change would bring consistency and fairness to the law.

Carrying less than 25 grams of marijuana in public would become a violation punishable by a maximum fine of $100 rather than a class B misdemeanor. Smoking and selling the drug in public would remain a crime.

The governor said that more than 60 percent of the people arrested for possession of marijuana were young and 94 percent were minorities.

“The effect of a criminal conviction of a young person can alter the trajectory of their entire life,” Cuomo said at the press conference in Albany.

It was also largely a city issue with 94 percent of the arrests coming within the five boroughs.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg released a statement today in support of changing the law.

Last year, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly issued a directive to his officers to issue violations, rather than misdemeanors, for small amounts of marijuana that come into open view during a search.

“The governor’s proposal today is consistent with the commissioner’s directive, and strikes the right balance by ensuring that the NYPD will continue to have the tools it needs to maintain public safety — including making arrests for selling or smoking marijuana,” Bloomberg said.

A large-scale bust landed 45 people – alleged members of two drug organizations operating in southeast Queens – in jail on drug, weapons and other charges.

The two organizations were allegedly being run by a set of the Bloods street gang known as the “South Side Bloods” and by James “Wall” Corley, an original member of the Queens Supreme Team, a violent narcotics gang that flourished during the height of New York City’s crack epidemic in the 1980s.

It is alleged that the two gangs grossed more than $15,000 per week by distributing narcotics to numerous street dealers who, in turn, sold the drugs to customers. In total, 45 people have been arrested, including 19 customers.

“This investigation resulted in dozens of arrests, including that of James ‘Wall’ Corley, one of the principal suppliers of cocaine throughout Queens South,” said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. “Corley began his drug career as an associate of ‘the supreme team’ during the crack epidemic of the 1980s, and associated with the felons who sanctioned the execution of New York City Police Officer Edward Byrne in 1988. While Corley was not charged in the murder of Eddie Byrne, generations of police officers will take no small satisfaction in the fact that an associate of his killers has been brought to justice.”

District Attorney Richard A. Brown said that, since February 2011, the NYPD’s Queens Gang Squad and his Narcotics Investigations Bureau have been watching two separate organizations allegedly supplying narcotics in southeast Queens.

As a result of traditional investigative means such as physical surveillance and search warrants, coupled with court-authorized electronic surveillance, authorities allegedly developed information that the first group, the Corley Crew, allegedly led by James Corley, supplied customers in the South Jamaica Houses, the Baisley Houses, Rochdale Village and other areas in Jamaica, while the second group, the South Side Bloods, supplied customers in Baisley Gardens and other parts.

In addition to the arrests, officers executed 14 court-authorized search warrants and allegedly seized approximately one-and-one-half kilograms of cocaine, over 50 decks of heroin, a quantity of marijuana, approximately $70,000 in alleged narcotic proceeds, numerous cell phones, four handguns and a 9mm Intratec submachine gun.

The defendants are variously charged criminal sale of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal sale of marijuana.

Among those arrested was Corley, who was charged on May 10 with three narcotics sales and other related charges. In executing a search warrant at Corley’s residence in Rochdale Village, police allegedly recovered a quantity of cocaine, 10 vials of Lidocaine (commonly added to cocaine), 45 forged $5 bills and various narcotics paraphernalia.

An impromptu bake sale at a Queens middle school had students tripping and teachers flipping.

Twenty students at Intermediate School 208 in Bellerose were caught snacking and getting stoned on marijuana-infused brownies, provided by a fellow student who was selling the goods during school.

An eight-grade female whose identify was withheld because of her age, was allegedly responsible for distributing the psychedelic sweets. Her plan went up in smoke when the dean heard about the underground brownie business.

“This was a troubling incident,” said Department of Education representative Marge Feinberg. “As soon as the school learned about it they reported it to us and reached out to the parents of the students involved.”

Feinberg was unsure of exactly how much dough the student made. According to Feinberg, parents were notified and the students involved are now facing repercussions.

“We are bringing in a counselor to speak to the school community about substance abuse and prevention, and the students involved will face a disciplinary hearing,” said Feinberg.

According to the NYPD,police investigated the situation but no arrests were made due to a lack of evidence.

Officials from I.S. 208 denied comment on the situation as of press time.